1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to inserts and ports for subsea equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to a plug and port system with a verifiable seal and improved durability. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to a plug and port system for a subsea anchor, such as a suction pile.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
Oil and gas can be located beneath inland waters and offshore areas. The oil and gas industry uses subsea equipment for the exploration, drilling and development of these fields of oil and gas in underwater locations. The subsea equipment must withstand extreme environmental conditions, and the installation of the subsea equipment must be performed remotely. Robotic devices, such as a remote operated vehicle (ROV), interact with the equipment and tools at the subsea location. The verification of seals and connection of equipment is necessary, but the manual interaction and inspection by an ROV is limited. When subsea equipment is permanently or semi-permanently installed in an underwater location, the verification of seals and connections and the longevity of these seals and connections become vital parts of establishing safe and responsible conditions for oil and gas exploration and production.
One example of subsea equipment is the suction pile. The suction pile has a port, and an ROV connects a hose to the port through an adapter in order to suction the water from inside the suction pile. After the suction is completed, the port needs to be capped by a plug. An adapter and plug are inserts that interact with the port of the subsea equipment. Different functions, such as suctioning and capping the suction pile, are required for subsea installations.
Various prior art references establish the overall process of installing suction piles and identify the need for a plug and/or an adapter in a port of a suction pile. U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,641, issued to Hogervorst on Mar. 9, 1982, teaches a system and method for securing a suction pile to the bottom of the ocean. The general steps of lowering and opening vents to evacuate the suction pile are disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,496, issued to Von Eberstein on Apr. 13, 2004, also describes the process of deploying a suction pile. The valves and ports for use by a remote operated vehicle (ROV) are also disclosed. The ports are actually prior art butterfly valves without any particular engineering beyond a generic butterfly valve. U.S. Pat. No. 7,527,455, issued to Raines on May 5, 2009, discloses another installation with the innovation being a split cylinder of the suction pile and a two-way flow valve on the top half of the split cylinder.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,661,905, issued to Alhayari on Feb. 16, 2010, further describes an installation process with holes in the bottom skirt of the suction pile. The process of covering the holes in the overall sequence is the scope of this patent. The pumping from ports on the top of the suction pile is shown with generic structures. Only generic plugs and butterfly valves are shown.
The prior art plugs include a sealing member. U.S. Pat. No. 7,766,046, issued to Syse et al on Aug. 3, 2010, describes a plug for sealing pipelines. The shape and components of the plug include the conical head, spring loaded mechanics, and a sealing cam, similar to an O-ring. FIGS. 1 and 5 show the sealing element 42 on the conical surface 40 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,766,046. U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,337, issued to Lewis on Oct. 5, 1971, discloses a tube unloader with slotted engagement. The structures for aligning two tubular members, inserting, and rotating to lock the two tubular members are shown.
The prior art plugs and adapters have problems. There is torque limitation of the remote operated vehicle (ROV). There is a limited amount of torque available to tighten the handle and compress the seal of the plug or adapter. The large rubber mass in the prior art sealing members does not squeeze or deform enough to get a perfect seal on the outside and inside sealing surfaces. Across the large rubber mass, only certain portions are forming a seal. The portions are inconsistent and unpredictable according to the twisting through the large rubber mass. Twisting the single rubber mass cocks or skews the plug so the seal is poor or incomplete. Twisting may require torque that is not available with an ROV. Furthermore, there is no verification. The large rubber mass may or may not form a sealing engagement, and the exact location is unknown. There are no checks on the port to determine the location or confirmation of an actual seal.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an embodiment of a system for sealing subsea equipment.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an embodiment of a plug and port system for sealing subsea equipment.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an embodiment of a system for sealing subsea equipment with verified seal.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an embodiment of a system for sealing subsea equipment with a sealing means verified at different positions on the port.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an embodiment of a system for sealing subsea equipment with a sealing means having modular elements.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an embodiment of a system for sealing subsea equipment with a sealing means resistant to torsion during installation in a port.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an embodiment of a system for sealing subsea equipment with a longer lasting sealing engagement to the port.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an embodiment of a system for sealing subsea equipment with verified sealed configuration for separate modular elements of the sealing means.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an embodiment of a system for sealing subsea equipment with a sealing means of seal rings and separate verification of the sealing engagement of each seal ring.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an embodiment of a system for sealing subsea equipment with a locked configuration and a set configuration, wherein the sealing means is compressed in the set configuration.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an embodiment of a system for sealing subsea equipment with a locked configuration corresponding to fixed position in the port tube.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an embodiment of a system for sealing subsea equipment with a separate set configuration to seal separate from the locked configuration.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.